KERA Newsroom

Every weekday morning and evening, KERA airs an extended local news report. Hosted by Sam Baker at 8:20 a.m. and Justin Martin at 6:20 p.m., the segment focuses on the latest in education, health, science, technology, arts and politics in North Texas. Special features include Breakthroughs reports on advances in health, science and technology; Vital Signs, a weekly conversation about personal health;American Graduate stories about the journey to graduation; the weekly movie chat The Big Screen; and in-depth interviews of The Friday Conversation.

The annual Texas sales tax holiday starts on Friday as children prepare to return to school. The Texas comptroller's office says the tax-free weekend, for a number of school-related items, will run until Sunday.

Texas school districts will soon receive letter grades for the first time as the state prepares to roll out its new accountability system. School district scores on an A-F grading system will be released August 15.

The city of Fort Worth is staring down the barrel of a $1.6 billion pension problem. The retirement fund for city workers, police officers and firefighters is likely to run out of money in two to three decades if nothing is done.

The Trump Justice Department says it proved that Dallas-based AT&T's mega-merger with Time Warner will hurt competition, and the judge who allowed the takeover was clearly wrong to conclude consumers wouldn't be harmed.

A Dallas state senator met today with Russian officials in Moscow. A spokesman for Republican Don Huffines tells The Texas Tribune that he's in Russia for "frank discussions" and to demand that Russia stop meddling in U.S. elections.

Firefighters to the west of North Texas are battling two wildfires. The Texas A&M Forest Service reports fire crews have a 140-acre wildfire 75 percent contained in Jack County, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth.

A special Texas Senate committee looking at school safety had its last public hearing Tuesday. The Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools and School Safety focused on “red flag” gun laws in the final hearing.